First off, do not compare this to Sarah J Maas. Broadbent does not have a deep enough world, her rules change too much, she has no compelling secondary characters (which is what makes maas so readable), and the slow burn was very trope-y (which I do admittedly like, but it's certainly nothing to write home about). So if you go in expecting Maas, you will be very disappointed.

HOWEVER. For what this is, it's a really good example. The slow burn was luscious, the dad-daughter relationship between Oraya and Vincent was really beautifully done, and it's just overall a solid vampire story. It's too slow to start and the world building is lackluster, and I didn't appreciate that the beginning of the story insists that everyone who enters the competition and loses will die which is later proven not to be true and really lowered the stakes. To be honest I'm sure I will have forgotten all the relevant plot points by the time I read the second book, but it was a nice fast brain candy read.